


Operation Matchmaker

by blazingEmblem



Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Crushes, Dorks in Love, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-13
Updated: 2020-10-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:28:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26985172
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blazingEmblem/pseuds/blazingEmblem
Summary: Ren and Makoto's attraction to one another was plain for everyone to see.Everyone except for Ren and Makoto themselves, of course.Frustrated by their mutual shyness, the rest of the Phantom Thieves work together to give them a little push.Commence Operation Matchmaker
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Niijima Makoto, Kurusu Akira/Niijima Makoto, Niijima Makoto/Persona 5 Protagonist
Comments: 4
Kudos: 111
Collections: ShuMako Mini Bang





	Operation Matchmaker

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone! This is my submission for the Shumako Minibang!  
> Be sure to check out wonderful artwork that my partner, patchie(@patchiecakies on twitter) made for this fic, and all the other great art that she's made!  
> https://twitter.com/patchiecakies

Ann Takamaki believed that if there was one thing she could be proud of, it was her emotional intelligence. She considered herself a good judge of character, and was very conscious of her own emotions, as well as the emotions of her teammates.

And that included their leader and their second-in-command.

It was rare to see their leader lose his cool, but she clearly saw the blush on his face when he saw her awaken to her persona, and when he had given her her codename of Queen.

And Queen displayed a similar blush whenever Joker tried showing off while fighting enemy shadows, something she noticed he did much more frequently since Queen joined.

She quickly caught wind of the stolen glances they gave to each other, how close they always sat to each other…

And she was pretty sure they had even snuck off together during Hawaii!

Joker and Queen were perfect for each other, as far as she was concerned!

The only problem was… they were both just a _little_ too shy to confess their feelings.

It was equal parts adorable and infuriating.

Sooo… she figured that they just needed a little push.

Operation Matchmaker had officially begun!

* * *

“Ok! Is everyone here?” Ann asked.

“Um… Ren and Makoto aren’t here.” Haru brought up.

“That's because we need to talk about those two.” Ann said.

“Did something happen?” Yusuke asked.

“Well… say, Ryuji?” Ann called.

“Yeah?”

“Has Ren ever told you anything about the type of girl he likes?” Ann wondered.

Ryuji rolled his eyes. “If you’ve got a crush on him just ask him out.”

Morgana gasped, a shocked look on his face. “Lady Ann, say it isn't so!”

“I’m not talking about me!” Ann yelled. “I’m talking about Makoto!”

“Mako-chan?” Haru questioned. “Now that you mention it, there is quite a bit of chemistry between them.”

“Yeah, you should see how long they text each other late at night.” Futaba added.

“Tell me about it!” Morgana complained. “No matter how much I tell him to go to bed at a reasonable hour, he stays up so late texting her!”

“Wait, for real?!” Ryuji exclaimed. “Ren and Makoto?!”

“It is rather obvious.” Yusuke mentioned. “One need only look at their expressions when they look at each other to understand the depths of their feelings.”

“Aw come on! Even Yusuke knew?!” Ryuji grumbled. “He didn't tell me…”

“He didn’t tell anyone.” Ann shrugged. “That’s why I’m only 99 percent sure they like each other.”

“So, we just need to get confirmation, yeah?” Futaba asked.

“Well, that’s the first part.” Ann nodded.

“I could talk to Mako-chan.” Haru offered. “Maybe she would be willing to tell me.”

“Then I’ll do the same for Joker!” Morgana declared.

“Ok!” Ann grinned. “Let me know how it goes!”

* * *

As night fell over Leblanc, Morgana figured that it was the perfect time to put the first part of the plan into action.

“Hey, Joker?”

“Yeah, Morgana?”

“I was just wondering... what you think about Lady Ann?”

“What do you mean?” Ren asked.

“I need to know if I have any competition!” Morgana exclaimed.

Ren gave a short laugh. “It’s not like that. Ann’s a good friend, but she’s not really my type.”

“So what is your type?” Morgana wondered. “Lady Ann said when she asked that you said you liked smart girls.”

“Oh… she told you that, huh?” Ren muttered, looking a little embarrassed.

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed you staying up late texting instead of sleeping!” Morgana huffed.

Ren said nothing, simply turning on his side.

“Mweh heh!” Morgana laughed. “You don’t need to be embarrassed! I can keep a secret!”

Ren sighed, pausing for a few minutes before speaking again. “She’s… really smart and mature, and she’s one of the strongest people I know. But… she’s also… really cute. Cute and elegant.”

“Elegant, huh?” Morgana grinned. “Elegant… like a Queen?”

“Yeah!” Ren agreed. “Like a Queen…”

“...”

“...”

“Oh, um, I mean-”

“Heh! So it’s Makoto, huh?” Morgana grinned.

“J-Just don’t tell anyone, ok?” Ren stammered.

“Your secret’s safe with me!” Morgana lied, eager to tell the others what he had found.

He settled at the end of Ren’s bed, seeing that, once again, he had his phone out, texting someone with a smile on his face.

* * *

“So, how’s everything been for you, Haru?”

She sat with Makoto at a small cafe, hoping to glean some information from her.

“Everything’s been great so far, Mako-chan!” she chirped. “Ever since I became friends with all of you, things have been looking up.”

“I’m glad to hear it.” Makoto softly smiled. “I was worried that your… fiancé would be causing you trouble.” Makoto stated.

“Thankfully, he hasn't been bothering me as of late.” Haru said.

She glanced at her coffee, giving a sad smile.

“I do want to get married someday.” she whispered. “But not to him. I think… it would be nice to have a special someone to share meals with.”

Makoto nodded, a slight tint of red on her cheeks, imaging herself enjoying a meal with a certain someone.

“What about you, Mako-chan?” Haru giggled. “Do you have a special someone?”

“T-That's…” Makoto stammered, her face turning redder by the second.

“Wait...” Haru trailed off. “Makoto, you have a crush?!”

“Y-Yes.” she whispered. “I’ve… liked him for a few months now, but… I figured that it would be best if I kept quiet about it.”

“Because of your sister?” Haru asked.

“Yes… she would never approve of him.” Makoto lamented. “He had a bad reputation, but he’s really, really sweet. But also… I don't think he’d ever return my feelings.”

“Oh, come now.” Haru said. “Any boy would be lucky to have you.”

“W-Well, I wouldn't want to risk our friendship.” Makoto replied.

She thought for a moment on what to say next before an idea came to her.

“If you don't tell them now, you may end up regretting it in the future.” Haru countered. “And besides, even if he says no, I’m sure that Ren would want to continue being friends.”

“Ren is very kind…” Makoto agreed, before her eyes widened, and she let out a little squeak.

“H-How did you-”

Haru let out a soft giggle. “So, it's just as I thought. I think you should tell him, Makoto!”

“I’m not sure…”

“At least consider it, ok?” Haru asked. “If you wait too long, someone else might confess before you do.”

The frown on Makoto's face told her that that bothered her.

“Maybe you’re right…” Makoto admitted.

Haru let out another smile, her plan successful.

* * *

“All right!” Ann cheered. “Phase 1 complete!”

“So, we know they like each other, so we just gotta wait for them to confess, yeah?” Ryuji asked.

“I still think that they need a little push.” Ann replied. “So we should give them a little advice!”

“Heh, alright.” Ryuji grinned. “You and me will talk to Ren, and-”

“Me and Inari will talk to Makoto!” Futaba grinned.

“Um… no offense, Futaba, but are you sure you're up to this?” Ann asked.

“Please.” Futaba scoffed. “You’re looking at a dating sim master over here.”

Ann shrugged. “Well, alright. Then it's time to put Phase 2 into action.”

* * *

“Soooo… I hear you have a little crush, Ren.”

Ren groaned, looking at them with a frown.

“Should have never told Morgana.” Ren muttered.

“Not like it was much of a secret to begin with.” Ryuji smirked. “You should be thankin’ us, cause we're gonna give you some advice!”

“Advice…?” Ren repeated.

“For wooing Makoto, dummy.” Ann grinned.

He could feel his face starting to heat up, causing Ann and Ryuji to smirk at him.

“Ok, so, what you gotta do is make it seem like you’re gonna yawn, then drape your arm around her!” Ryuji said. “Or maybe even put your head on her shoulder.”

“Seriously, Ryuji?” Ann scoffed, rolling her eyes. “That’s the oldest trick in the book. You need to be more subtle. Like… reach for the popcorn at the same time she does, so that your hands touch.”

“What would you know?!” Ryuji asked. “You don’t have any experience with girls!”

“Neither do you!”

“Guys!” Ren yelled. “Listen, I’m not even sure if she likes me like that.”

“Well did you ask?” Ryuji wondered.

“Well, no, but-”

“Then you need to ask her!” Ann cut him off. “When it comes to Makoto, you need to be very clear with your intentions! She won’t understand otherwise.”

That was true. It was only a few days ago that he had offered to be her study partner in romance.

She had taken it very literally.

But even if he was honest with her… would she even want to be with someone like him?

Someone with a criminal record…

* * *

“If you wish to earn his affection, you must expose yourself to him! You must bare all!”

“W-What?!”

“Stop being weird, Inari!” Futaba yelled.

“Well, do you not think that would work?” Yusuke scoffed.

“I mean… I guess it would.” Futaba shrugged.

“I-I’m not doing that!” Makoto yelled.

“You must express your emotions to him!” Yusuke insisted.

“Yeah, Ren’s kinda dumb, so if you’ll have to tell him straight out if you like him.”

“B-But-”

Futaba rolled her eyes. “Come on, doesn't he flirt with you all the time?!”

She felt her face begin to heat up. Sure, he had said that playing the role of her boyfriend was ‘a role he was born to play. And when she had mentioned her dream of being a police officer, he told her ‘he liked a woman in uniform’.

But… he probably said things like that to every girl.

Suddenly, Futaba dumped a bunch of manga in front of her, startling her out of her thoughts.

“Futaba, what are these?” Makoto wondered.

“Teen romance manga, duh!” Futaba responded. “Me and Inari picked these out ourselves!”

She gave Yusuke a questioning look.

“The artwork was superb.” Yusuke smiled.

Well, that figured.

“Read these, and you’ll be an expert on romance in no time.” Futaba claimed.

Futaba and Yusuke left, leaving her with a mountain of manga.

“Will these teen romance manga really help?” she wondered aloud.

Well, it couldn't hurt to check…

* * *

“NOOOOO!” She yelled. “Why would he do that to her?! Doesn't he realize the other girl doesn't love him?!”

She was now completely engrossed in the manga, her multiple pages of romance notes abandoned at the foot of her bed.

Ever since Ren had offered to be her study partner, she had done plenty of research into romance.

Most of the time, however, she couldn't make much progress, because she would get super flustered after a few seconds of reading...

When Ren had first offered, a small part of her thought that he might actually like her as more than a friend.

But she quickly pushed that thought away.

She wasn't nearly as pretty or as bubbly as the other girls he knew…

* * *

“And that's Phase 2 complete!” Ann grinned.

“So is that all, or is there still more?” Ryuji wondered.

“I think they just need one more little push.” Ann said.

“Don't you think that they'll get suspicious of us?” Yusuke asked.

“Well couldn't we just have a celebration or something?” Futaba suggested.

“A celebration for what?” Morgana asked.

“Well, we did just get through our exams.” Haru pointed out.

“Oh yeah, that's right!” Ann grinned.

“Too bad Ryuji’s exam scores aren't anything worth celebrating!” Morgana smirked.

“Can it, cat!”

“How should he celebrate, though?” Haru wondered.

“I suggest a buffet.” Yusuke replied.

“You always wanna go to a buffet, Inari!” Futaba complained.

“Oh, oh, I know!” Morgana shouted excitedly. “Why don't we all have a sleepover at Leblanc?”

“What is it with you and sleeping?” Ryuji scoffed.

“Wait, that's a great idea!” Ann exclaimed. “Let’s text Ren and Makoto right now.”

They brought out their phones, going into the Phantom Thieves group chat.

Ann: Hey, are you two free tomorrow?

Ryuji: We were thinking about celebrating getting through exams.

Makoto: That sounds like a great idea! We could all use a little break.

Ren: Any ideas on where to go to celebrate?

Futaba: Actually, we thought we could just have a sleepover at Leblanc.

Ren: That was Morgana’s idea, wasn't it?

Haru: How did you know?

Ren: Lucky guess.

Makoto: I’ve never really been to a sleepover before…

Ann: For real?! But they’re so much fun!

Futaba: We can eat tons of junk food, watch anime, and play games!

Yusuke: You do all of that anyway.

Futaba: Shut up, Inari.

Haru: We should all bring movies to watch together!

Ryuji: Hell yeah! We need to bring lots of snacks too!

Yusuke: Snacks?

Ren: Tell me more about these snacks.

Ann: Why are you focusing on that?!

Makoto: Will we be sleeping in the attic?

Ann: Yeah, that’s right.

Ryuji: You got a sleeping bag, right?

Makoto: Unfortunately, no.

Ann: Don’t worry, Makoto! I’ll bring one for you.

Makoto: Thank you!

Haru: Oh, I’m so excited!

Ren: So, this is tomorrow, right?

Futaba: Yeah. I’ll talk to Sojiro and get him to close a little early.

Ann: Awesome, see you all then!

She put down her phone, turning towards the others.

“Alright, now here’s what we're going to do!” Ann said.

She began explaining her plan, the others eager to put it into action.

* * *

She felt a little nervous, walking into what would be her first sleepover. She had simply told her sister that she would be spending the night at a friend's house (although she neglected to mention that there would be boys there as well).

She had brought her toothbrush and a change of clothes, but she had been too embarrassed to bring any of her Yakuza or Buchimaru movies.

She entered Leblanc, exchanging a small greeting with Boss before heading up to the attic, seeing that the others had already changed.

“Hey, Makoto!” Ann greeted.

“A-Am I late?” she nervously asked, seeing that the others were already there.

“Nah, you’re right on time.” Ryuji told her. “Ann was about to play her movie.”

“I’ll go change then.” she said, heading to the bathroom.

* * *

Ren always considered himself a calm and collected person. Even in the face of multiple vicious shadows, or the reaper itself, he managed to keep his cool and fulfill his role as leader.

Absolutely nothing could cause him to lose his cool.

Nothing… except for Makoto Niijima in her pajamas, the colors reminding him of the pandas she loved so much.

He already thought that she was incredibly cute, but seeing her in her white pajama pants with black polka dots, and a white shirt with black sleeves on it was almost enough to send him into some sort of cuteness induced coma.

“H-Hey, Ren…”

“H-Hey…” he repeated. “I, um… like your pajamas.”

He mentally slapped himself. What kind of compliment was that?!

Thankfully, she didn't seem to mind, but he could hear the others giggling.

* * *

At first, she had been a little embarrassed to wear her Buchi-like pajamas. But Ren seemed to like it, which was… nice.

“Hey Makoto, there's an open spot on the couch next to Ren.” Ann brought up. “Why not sit there?”

She nodded, sitting down next to him.

As Ann set her movie to play, Ren scooted closer to her.

“So, this is your first sleepover?” he asked.

“Yes.” she nodded. “I have to admit, I’m a little nervous.”

“Just relax.” he encouraged. “Treat it like any other time we’ve hung out. Or like… expanding your horizons.”

She gave a small smile. “You’re right. Thank you.”

“Anytime.” he replied, smiling back.

* * *

They decided to start with Ann’s movie first, which was a romcom.

It was a love story between a misunderstood delinquent and a prim and proper honor student.

It seemed very familiar for some reason.

“Oh, how romantic!” Haru exclaimed. “They're taking a walk on the beach together.”

“Lady Ann, we should go for a walk together too!”

“Sounds like fun!” Ann beamed. “Say, Ren, do you take Morgana out for walks too. Like other pet owners?”

Morgana slumped in defeat, Ryuji struggling not to laugh.

“Oof. Petzoned.” Futaba muttered.

She quickly brought out her romance notes, hoping to get some tips from the movie while everyone was distracted by Morgana’s theatrics.

Unfortunately, not everyone was.

“Studying at a moment like this?” Ren smirked.

“Eep!” she squeaked, dropping her notebook.

“What were you studying?” he asked.

“I-I’ll tell you later.” she answered.

She tried to reach out for the popcorn the others had brought, realizing too late that Ren was reaching for it at the same time.

Their hands were touching.

 _THEIR HANDS WERE TOUCHING_!!!

All eyes seemed to be on them, Futaba gasping at the lewd display.

“O-Oh!” Makoto gasped.

“My bad.” Ren chuckled. “Ladies first.”

“M-My, what a gentleman.” Makoto smiled.

He winked, slowly moving his hand away, his fingers lingering for just a moment.

The two were startled by the sound of Ann squealing.

“O-Oh, sorry.” Ann nervously laughed. “Um… it’s just… my favorite part of the movie is coming up, t-that’s all.”

“Hmm…”

“Is something wrong, Yusuke?” Haru asked.

“Watching this movie reminded me of something.” Yusuke responded. “I was having a bit of trouble with my latest painting.”

“I’d be happy to help out.” Ren offered.

“I was hoping you would.” Yusuke grinned.

“I would like you to describe to me your ideal woman.”

She quickly looked to her side, seeing the blush on his face, _very_ interested in what he had to say.

“They're… very beautiful.” Ren started. “But also very mature, smart, and strong willed. I… admire them a lot, actually.”

The others all had massive grins on their faces.

Except for her.

That… didn't sound like her at all.

“Is something wrong, Mako-chan?” Haru asked.

“N-No, it's nothing.” she whispered, shaking her head.

A few minutes later, Ann’s movie ended, and a grinning Ryuji put his movie in next.

It was an American action film, which thankfully had subtitles so they could understand what was going on.

Seeing the fast paced action on screen, she couldn't help but clench her fists in excitement, a completely engrossed look on her face.

“Really getting into this, aren't you?” Ren smirked.

“H-Huh?” she stammered, snapping out of her trance, only to see the others trying to hold back their laughter.

“I didn't know you liked this type of movie, Mako-chan.” Haru giggled.

“Yeah, she was like this when we saw a Yakuza movie together at the theater.” Ren recalled.

“How come you two never told the others about your little date?” Morgana snickered.

Both of them looked away, embarrassed blushes showing on both of their faces.

* * *

After Ryuji’s movie had finished, Futaba put her movie in next, sitting next to Makoto on the couch after she did so.

Predictably, it was an anime film.

What was surprising, however, is that Futaba didn't seem to be paying much attention to it.

Futaba let out a yawn, resting her head on Makoto’s shoulder as she closed her eyes.

“Tired already?” Makoto whispered to the younger girl.

“Needed… to… beat… final… boss…”

“Looks like _someone_ was gaming all night.” Makoto smiled, a hint of a teasing tone to her voice.

She heard Ren let out a yawn himself before…

“Eep! R-Ren!”

He rested his head on her other shoulder.

“Futaba’s… yawning is contagious.” he said, his lips curling into a smirk.

“Heh… told ya it’d work.” Ryuji whispered to Ann.

Ann just rolled her eyes, pulling out her phone.

“Ann, what are you doing with-

*SNAP*

“W-Why are you taking a picture?!” Makoto exclaimed.

“Come on, it’ll make a great memory!” Ann grinned.

“Hey…”

She glanced over at Ren, still resting on her shoulder.

“Bet you look adorable in that picture.” he whispered.

She tried to form a coherent response, but only managed a small whine.

Neither of them noticed the wide grin on Futaba’s face.

“All according to keikaku.” Futaba thought to herself.

* * *

“Ok! Now it's time for my movie!” Haru beamed. “I brought the scariest movie I could find!”

“W-What?!” Makoto stammered. “I-It's not that scary, i-is it?”

“Oh, it’s incredibly scary!” Haru grinned. “And gory too!”

“I… see.” Makoto trailed off.

“You can do this, Makoto.” she told herself. “Face your fears. You can do this!”

* * *

I can't do this, I can’t do this! Iwanttogohome sispleasehelpmeeeeeee!

It took all of five minutes for her to start clinging to Ren like her life depended on it.

“H-Hey, it's ok, Makoto.” Ren comforted. “Everything’s going to be ok.”

Slowly, Makoto began to calm down as Ren comforted her, though she still kept her face buried in Ren’s chest rather than looking at the screen.

Haru smiled seeing the two of them.

“Hehehe… I think I picked a good movie, didn't I?” Haru giggled.

I g-guess.” Morgana stuttered, his fur standing on end. B-But did it really have to be _this_ scary?”

* * *

“I-Is it over?” Makoto muttered when the T.V went silent.

“Yeah, you can stop clinging to Ren now.” Ryuji laughed.

Her eyes widened, quickly detaching herself from Ren and muttering an apology.

“I guess that it’s my movie next.” Ren said. “Hang on while I go grab it.”

Originally, he had planned to play a Yakuza movie, but after Haru’s movie, he felt like he might want to choose something a bit more calming for Makoto…

He picked his movie, quickly putting it in his DVD player so that none of the others saw what it was.

He sat back down next to Makoto, who gasped when she saw what he chose.

“What the hell is this, Ren?” Ryuji asked, confused.

All the others seemed confused at the bright colors and the singing cartoon panda on screen, who Ren and Makoto knew as Buchimaru.

“Shoot, the workers at the rental shop must have put the wrong disk in that Yakuza movie I got.” Ren lied.

“For real?!” Ryuji groaned. “How’d they screw up that bad?”

He shrugged. “Guess we might as well watch it. Take some of the edge off from that horror movie.”

“Y-Yeah.” Ann agreed, still a little shaken herself. “Good idea.”

As the movie continued, Makoto glanced over towards Ren, who met her gaze and smiled at her.

“Did you… choose this movie on purpose?” she asked.

“Maybe.” he softly chuckled. “Did you choose something similar?”

“No, I was too embarrassed.” she whispered. “Thank you for choosing this.”

“Anything for you, Queen.” he winked, causing her face to flush.

When the movie finally reached its conclusion, Ryuji let out a loud groan.

“It's about damn ti-”

“Shh!”

Ann made a shushing motion with her finger before discretely pointing towards the couch.

The others quietly glanced over, only to see Ren and Makoto snuggled together.

Makoto had her head resting on Ren’s shoulder, and his hand rested atop of hers on the couch.

Ann quickly brought out her phone, startling them when she snapped a picture.

“Enjoying yourselves?” She beamed.

They both quickly separated, blushing profusely.

* * *

After his movie ended, everyone (mostly Morgana) noticed that it was getting late and decided to go to bed.

“Oh my God!” Ann suddenly shouted. “Makoto, I’m totally sorry! I completely forgot to get you a sleeping bag! Although… I suppose you could share the bed with Ren…”

Thankfully, both Ren and Makoto were too flustered to see through her terrible acting.

Yusuke raised an eyebrow. “Could she not just sleep on the couc-OOF!”

“ _Mona_ will take the couch.” Haru said, a deceptively sweet expression on her face considering she had just elbowed Yusuke in the ribs.

“But isn't it a little too big for just Morga-OOF!”

“Futaba can share it with him!” Haru sweetly smiled. “She is the youngest, and her father owns this place.”

In an effort to persevere his aching ribs, Yusuke simply nodded.

“I could just sleep on the floor.” Makoto offered.

“I can’t let you do that.” Ren said. “You’re my guest.”

“But it’s your bed!”

“I’m the leader!”

“I’m your sempai!”

“Then… we can just… sleep on opposite ends.” Ren suggested. “Would that be ok?”

“...That's fine.” she whispered.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “I trust you.”

The two thieves climbed into, but even with them laying down on opposite sides, the bed was small enough so that they were still close to each other.

* * *

When Makoto noticed that all of the others had fallen asleep, she quietly grabbed her notebook.

“Makoto…?” Ren mumbled. “Are you still up?”

“Yes… there's something I wanted to show you.” she nodded. “It has to do with… what you said to me a few days ago. About us… being study partners.”

His eyes widened in surprise. “Really?! Then… do you want to…?

She nodded, showing him her notebook. “I’ve already taken plentiful notes on romance.”

“...Notes?” he repeated, confusion evident on his face.

“Weren't we studying romance?” she asked. “Am I going about it the wrong way?”

“That's not… Makoto, I didn't mean that literally.” he explained.

“Then what did you mean?”

He took a deep breath, figuring that it was now or never.

“I like you… as more than a friend.” he whispered. “And I want to study romance with you… as your boyfriend.”

“W-Wait!” she stammered, her heart doing flips in her chest. “You want to date… as in… actually date?!”

“The entire time we were fake dating, I found myself wishing it was real.” he admitted.

“B-But what about when you were talking to Yusuke about your type?” she asked.

“I was… describing you.” he whispered.

“Y-You said… they were beautiful…” she trailed off.

“They are.” he smiled. “Very, very beautiful.”

She was completely speechless, her brain unable to process something for once.

He really thought that highly of her…?

“S-Sorry.” he muttered. “It would probably be too much trouble to go out with someone with a record…”

No…

She wanted this…

And if her romance research had taught her anything, it was that this was the perfect opportunity to let him know that.

Gently, she cupped his cheek, warmly smiling at him.

“I don’t care what anyone else has to say. From now on, I’ll follow my heart.” Makoto promised. “Wherever it leads me.”

“And it… led you to me?” he hesitantly asked.

She nodded, getting closer so she could whisper into his ear.

“You’ve stolen my heart, Ren.”

Even in the darkness, she could see the bright red blush on his face.

“T-Then…” he trailed off. “Could I… steal your first kiss too?”

Her face started to flush just as brightly as his.

“S-Sorry, I didn't mean to make you uncomforta-”

“Y-Yes.”

“H-Huh?”

“I… want to kiss you.” she whispered, her face now resembling a tomato.

He nervously nodded, both of them closing their eyes and the distance between them.

...Unfortunately, due to their inexperience, they completely missed, kissing the edges of each other's lips.

“Um…”

“L-Looks like we missed.” Ren chuckled.

Suddenly, Makoto broke out into a fit of giggles, and he found himself laughing with her.

“I guess neither of us know what we're doing.” Makoto giggled.

“Well… maybe we could try again?” Ren hopefully suggested.

“Y-Yeah!” Makoto nodded.

Once again, they both went in for a kiss, this time meeting each other's lips.

However…

“W-Why are you breathing into my mouth?!” Ren exclaimed.

“I-Isn't that what you're supposed to do during a kiss?!” Makoto stammered.

“I… I don't know.” Ren admitted.

“W-Well… that's what you do for CPR, anyway.” Makoto mentioned.

“Kissing is a little different… I think.”

Makoto lowered her head in disappointment.

“I’m sorry, Ren.” she whimpered. “I keep messing up.”

He placed his hand atop hers, smiling at her.

“It's ok, Makoto.” Ren comforted. “I do too. But it's just like any other subject we studied, right?”

“What do you mean?” Makoto asked.

“We’re not going to be experts at first, but that's why we practice.” he said. “So, what do you say? Third time's the charm, right… study partner?”

She nodded, regaining her smile.

They leaned in for a kiss again, and this time, everything went perfectly.

Her lips were soft, and had the faintest taste of strawberries, and both of them savored every second of their kiss.

Finally, they parted, only their need for air stopping them from kissing longer.

“How… was that?” Ren panted.

“I think… we got it right this time.” Makoto giggled. “But maybe… we should ‘study’ a little more.”

Ren grinned, just as eager to ‘study’ as she was.

They kissed again, and again, and again, and continued to kiss even after their lips were sore, making up for the months of untold feelings that had finally been brought to light.

Eventually, exhaustion overtook them, and they both drifted to sleep.

* * *

“Mmm… so soft...”

He opened his eyes, nearly gasping at what he saw.

At some point during the night, Makoto and him must have cuddled together. His arms were wrapped around her, and her head was resting against his chest.

He looked around the room and saw that the others were already gone. They must have gone downstairs for breakfast.

“Mmm… Buchi-kun, your fur’s even fluffier than normal.” Makoto whispered in her sleep.

He felt a blush creep onto his face when he felt her running her fingers through his hair.

“M-Makoto…?” he whispered.

Her eyes slowly fluttered open. “Buchi-kun, why do you sound like… Ren?!”

Her face instantly reddened, and she quickly tried to find the nearest place to hide it.

Which happened to be his chest.

She mumbled something unintelligible into his chest.

“What was that, Makoto?”

“I’m sorry, Ren…” she whispered.

“It’s fine.” he smiled. “This is just more studying for us, right?”

“Studying… w-wait!” she stammered. “So… what happened last night wasn’t a dream?”

He kissed her forehead, causing her to redden even more. “It was all real.”

“R-Ren! Shouldn’t we be more careful?” she whispered. “What about the others?!”

“Does the horror movie still have you paranoid?” he smirked. “It’s always the kissing couple that dies first in those movies.”

“B-Be quiet!” she stammered, lightly smacking his chest.

“The others must be downstairs eating breakfast.” Ren noted. “You want to join them?”

“Actually… this feels nice.” Makoto admitted. “Could we… c-cuddle for a little longer?”

“...Y-Yeah. I’d like that.” Ren smiled, pulling her closer.

Both thieves closed their eyes, happy to be in each other’s embrace.

* * *

“Pfft, what a couple of dorks!” Futaba laughed.

The other thieves sat at a table downstairs, listening in and looking at the couple using Futaba’s camera and recording equipment.

Yusuke furiously attempted to capture their passion into his sketchpad, while the others celebrated.

“Hehehe… I taught him everything I know.” Morgana claimed. “No wonder she was smitten with his charm!”

“Did you teach him that corny ‘study partner’ line too?” Ryuji laughed.

“I thought it was really cute!” Haru beamed.

Ann simply smiled, happy that their leaders were finally able to confess their feelings for each other. That wouldn’t stop her from playfully teasing the two ‘study partners’ later, though.

Operation Matchmaker was a roaring success!


End file.
